I Refuse To Be Like You
by Cat09OwlCity
Summary: This is Alistair Fitz's relationship with his own father and how it impacts his relationship with little Fitz. Why was Fitz's father so harsh and cruel with his son? I got this idea after reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (because I can never stop connecting things to SHIELD. It's a problem). Please review! Rated T as a just in case for verbal and a bit of physical abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Fourteen

Alistair Fitz entered the house through the front door. He was 14 years old and had just come home from school. He knew that his mother, Guinevere, would be at work still, and she would remain there until later in the evening. Hopefully she wasn't working a night shift. He didn't see his father, Samuel, but knew that he would probably be sitting upstairs watching TV or sleeping. Useless, as usual.

Alistair went into the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge, although he already knew what he expected to find. Empty. He rummaged through the cabinets, but nothing to munch on there either, unless he felt like just eating ground pepper.

He decided that he could wait until dinner and went to his room in the basement to do homework. He preferred staying in the basement to the rest of his house because it allowed him to forget that the rest of the house existed for a little while. He could forget the broken door hinges, the empty kitchen, his absent mother, his useless father, everything.

After a few hours, he heard the doorbell ring. He heard his father's footsteps go to answer the door and when he heard the voice of the person at the door, he knew he shouldn't listen in on the conversation. He'd almost surely end up doing something that he would regret. The man at the door was Martin, his father's financial advisor. Alistair had forgotten that Martin would be coming today. Or maybe he had just repressed the memory. Anyways, there was no point in overhearing this conversation. He knew that their finances were in complete and utter turmoil. His father never had enough money to support the family and borrowed loans from all kinds of people with no way of ever paying them back. Yet from what Alistair could see, and he saw a lot for his age, his father never took on extra jobs and he never worked harder at a job he did have to try and get promotions. His father seemed content to stay exactly where he was in the world while his family barely scraped by. Samuel was a gentle man who believed that it was enough to be kind to people in order to receive something in return. He didn't have the harsh strength necessary to pull himself up in anything, let alone a workplace or career.

By now, his father would be groveling, begging for some way to make everything work. Just the thought made Alistair want to punch something. "I'm doing the best I can!" Samuel had once said to Alistair and his mother. But as Guinevere comforted his father, telling him that she knew that and it wasn't his fault, Alistair had glared at his father in resentment. Not his fault? It wasn't his father's fault that his mother had to work two jobs with incredibly long hours so that they could keep the house and put food on the table? It wasn't his father's fault that Alistair had no college fund to speak of and would have to scramble for even the chance to go to university? It wasn't his father's fault that Alistair had already been working for a year, even though he was technically too young? Everything was his father's fault.

Martin didn't stay long. Alistair wasn't entirely sure why he still came, but Martin was still a friend of Samuel's, so maybe he felt obliged to give some kind of support. He knew better than to loan money, but he could watch Samuel cry and pat his back or something. Alistair didn't care much, but sometimes he felt like Martin knew the truth about Samuel too: Samuel was just too lazy to do anything about his finances.

After Martin left, Samuel remained in the living room. He played his old ukulele, as he did every day. Many times, he would play it in the square, trying to earn some money as a street musician. Alistair knew, though, that a good portion of the money he made that way would soon be spent on alcohol. Samuel took 'you only live once' very seriously. So most of the time he decided to enjoy himself in the present, forgetting each time that there would be a future that would catch up with him.

Dinner that night consisted of Chinese takeout that Guinevere had picked up on her way home. The table was quiet, save for the occasional noises of cutlery scraping against the containers. Guinevere knew about the meeting with Martin, but she didn't have any advice either. There was nothing she could say or do.

Finally, Samuel broke the silence. "Look, I know that you're not happy with me…"

Alistair looked up at him, glaring with fury and Samuel broke off, almost looking scared at the raw anger shown in his son. "Not happy? NOT HAPPY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR US?" Alistair was on his feet now, unable to contain his rage. "Do you have ANY idea what it's like for us while you SIT AROUND and play your stupid UKULELE?" He tried to calm his voice down, wanting to make sure that his father heard and understood each and every word he was about to say. "Ever since I was a kid, you've been telling me that if I don't ruffle people's feathers, they'll like me and they'll help me. You said that the best way to be successful is to be kind. You said that if you pray for something and you don't do anything wrong, you will be handed success. So…HOW HAS IT WORKED OUT FOR YOU?"

He stared long and hard at his father, but Samuel wouldn't even meet his eyes. "WELL? Oh, come on. How has it worked out for you? Are you successful? Do you live happily? Do _we_ live happily? What has your entire life of 'gentleness' led up to? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You have nothing to give now, you'll have nothing to give later, you won't have anything to give even after you die."

He was about to turn and walk away, having given up on his father, when Samuel said sadly, "I suppose you're more of a _man_ than I ever was. You have a strong will and a proud heart. You will survive failure. You won't find despair. You won't have time for despair. You're going to make something of yourself, Alistair."

Alistair didn't look at him, and when his father had finished speaking he simply walked away. His father's words, rather than making him feel even a bit closer to his father or more sympathetic, had actually made him feel more angry. His father hadn't said anything that he didn't already know. He was just irritated that his father knew it too and, rather than using the ideas to make himself stronger and more useful, he just used it to talk some more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Nineteen

Alistair was making his way down the familiar backroads of his hometown. He was going to visit his mother, although deep down he wasn't entirely sure why he even bothered anymore.

He had always known that his mother was strong, but he couldn't understand why she still cared for his father, after all he had done, or the lack thereof. Alistair always got in a fight with her about it whenever he went back to see her, so he tried not to visit her very often. He wanted to preserve their relationship as much as possible.

His father had been sick for years now and they all knew that he didn't have much longer. Alistair longed for the day when Samuel would just die already and stop being such a burden to him and his mother.

As usual, his mother opened the door and beamed at him, fussing over how much weight he lost while away at school and how his classes were going. He asked her how work was going, she asked him about his girlfriend, Laura, whom she was quite fond of. The usual talk. When all that was done, an awkward silence came upon them and Alistair knew what was coming next.

"Please. Just go see him. He wants to see you. He doesn't have much longer."

Alistair looked down, trying hard not to be argumentative with her. "I don't want to."

His mother sighed, weighing her next words. "Alistair, please listen to me. I need you to hear this. I know that you didn't grow up in the best of conditions, and I know that there's lots of things we've had to go without. I know that you're angry about that, and I understand. I know you're angry that I've had to work so much, that you've had to work so much, that you've had to put yourself through university and so many other things. You wonder why I care about him still, well it's because, though he has a horrendous work ethic, your father has loved us so much. From the moment he met me, the moment you were born, he had so much love in his heart for us. Every time we were sick, he'd make the meals and play music for us, or read you stories until you fell asleep. He'd welcome me home after a long day at work with a giant hug and a foot massage after a long night waiting tables at the restaurant. You remember when he stayed up all night helping you put together the Great Wall of China for your history project, or when I was having problems with the cabinet in the hall and he just built me a new one. I love your father because he has never shown me anything but love, even though he never brought home much money."

Alistair couldn't take it anymore. Sure, he vaguely remembered his father helping him with some history project, but surely she didn't expect him to look past years of suffering because of that one good moment? He got up to leave, and she stood up too. "Alistair–"

"He was _weak_ , mum!" His voice was dangerously low now, practically spitting the words out. "He was weak, and he was spineless. Maybe he did care about us. So what? In the end, he was too docile and lazy to do anything about it. He did _nothing_ with his life or for our lives. He cared so much that while we were suffering, he did nothing. He put the weight of the world on our shoulders and never bothered to share the weight when it got to be too much. So, sorry, but I don't care. For your sake, I hope he dies quickly. You deserve to live a few moments in peace." He started to walk towards the door, regretting yet again that he had come for a visit.

"I'm sorry. I swear when you were a boy you knew the value of a good heart. You lost that somewhere along the way and I didn't even realize it."

Alistair turned around, looking at her with a tired face. "I know what a good heart is, mum. But what good has that ever done me?"

He waited for her response, but she wouldn't give it. She looked away from him, tears in her eyes. Alistair knew that this would be something that they couldn't agree on, but some part of him wasn't ready to cut ties with his mother. That part of him still respected all of the incredible strength that she had shown throughout the years. He knew that if it hadn't been for her, he would be no one, with no chance of being someone, and he would always be grateful for that.

So he quickly walked over to his mother, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and said, "I'll call you sometime soon," as he walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him and, although he did continue to call his mother after that, however infrequently that was, he never set foot in that house again. He never saw his father again. He didn't even go to the funeral.

 **A/N: Hope you're enjoying so far! Next chapter will have little Fitz in it :) Please review to let me know what you like and what you don't like!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Twenty-six

The day that he married his wife had been the happiest day of his life. Laura was stunning and so happy, and her laugh was infectious. All their friends came to see them and Alistair's mother had even gotten to come. It was a joyous occasion.

One year later, Alistair had changed his happiest day to the day his son was born. A beautiful baby boy with a tuft of blond hair and eyes that would soon be the same beautiful blue as his mother's. His name was Leopold, a nice strong name. The name of kings.

In the days following, Alistair had realized just how far he'd come in his mission to succeed in the world, despite all of the setbacks that his father had caused him. He had a lovely family, he was in graduate school for engineering, he was going to get a good job, be a good husband, and raise a good, successful son who would carry on his legacy and his mission to be someone in this world.

That was three years ago now, and Alistair found a worm of doubt starting to form in the pit of his stomach. His son was growing into handsome young boy, and he was plenty creative and determined when he wanted to be. The only problem was, he wasn't creative and determined about the right things.

For example, when they discovered that young Leopold liked putting things in the microwave and turning it on, they put the microwave on a countertop where he couldn't reach it. Not to be deterred, Leopold, having just learned to walk only a few months before, pushed a barstool chair next to the countertop and then a little chair usually meant for him next to the barstool chair, making stairs for himself. But for what? Not because he was curious, Alistair realized, but because he wanted to play.

"He's a baby," his mother had laughed. "What do you expect from him?"

Alistair would smile and nod whenever she said this, but would feel his heart dropping into his stomach. He knew that she wouldn't understand. She had never known his father, so how could she know the danger? How could she know that every time something like this happened, he saw flashes of his father in Leopold? No matter how much he tried to deny his father's influence and forget about him, he could not change the genes that he passed down to his children. His father continued to plague him by corrupting his son, sowing the seeds of failure and leaving Alistair to watch the weeds grow.

Once Alistair started to recognize these remnants of his father in Leopold, he became much harsher with him, hoping to stamp it out of him before it caused too much damage to their otherwise perfect family. When this began, Laura would give him a funny look, wondering what had happened that day to put him in such a bad mood. Then it kept happening, week after week, whenever Leopold showed some kind of hesitation in getting what he wanted or maybe wanted to play instead of learn.

"He's just a child! He's three years old! What do you want him to do, put on a suit and go to work?" she would yell at him in earnest, trying to understand what she considered to be his ridiculous behavior.

"It's important, Laura! Don't they say that a boy's childhood is crucial to who he becomes? He's got to learn _now_! We have to prepare him for when he gets older! I will _not_ allow him to be some weakling who can't support himself. Some boy who can't defend himself in the world. He has to be a man who can succeed, otherwise what's the point?"

She looked at him, momentarily shocked. Though she hadn't met his father, she knew how Alistair felt about him, and he knew that she had probably figured out by now why this meant so much to him. He hoped that this meant she would understand that he knew what he was doing. He had hoped that she would just follow his lead. Instead, after gathering herself, she said, "The point is that whether he is successful or not, he will be a _good_ man, with a _good_ heart. That's how I'm going to raise _my_ son."

Alistair didn't like that. Not at all. Not only did it remind him of what his mother had said in defense of his father all those years ago, but she had referred to Leopold as _her_ son. As if she would win in this argument. He didn't want to fight her, but he knew that she didn't understand, and she wouldn't realize her mistake until it was too late and Leopold was grown and fully dependent on the people around him.

So from that point onwards, Alistair could feel the subtle war raging between them. Alistair would encourage Leopold to start learning to read little books by himself or start to write. While his mother loved reading to him or showing him how to hold the pencil and trace letters, she would encourage him more to play with toys, and even things that weren't his toys, or find adventure somewhere outside. "Play now, sweetheart, before you think yourself too old for it," she'd always say.

They even argued over his name. Alistair hated it when Laura referred to Leopold as 'Leo'. Leopold was a strong name, suitable for a man to rule the world. Leo was a name for a boy.

"He _is_ a boy," Laura would say. "And besides, it's a nickname. Not everyone wants to say a full name all the time."

"Well what's the point of giving him a name if you don't want to call him that?" Alistair asked, frustration laced in every word.

"I have nothing against his name," she said proudly, back straight and looking him in the eye.

"Then why don't you call him Leopold?"

She gave a little sigh of exasperation. "It's a _nickname_. The whole _point_ of them is to shorten a name so that you don't have to say the whole thing all the time. And he likes it. So why not? I do call him Leopold sometimes, just not all the time."

"You only call him that when you're angry with him."

"What exactly do you want from me?"

They stared at each other for a few minutes, and Alistair wondered why he couldn't see this part of Laura before.

This happened often as Leopold grew older and older, both parents wanting what they thought was best for him and both frustrated that the other couldn't understand.

Unfortunately, as Alistair grew more and more frustrated, he also became more violent, not knowing how else to get his point across to people who didn't want to listen.

The first time it happened, Leopold was six and said that his favorite part of school was recess and naptime. Alistair tried to control himself, and asked, "Surely you liked something that you learned more, one of the subjects?" But Leopold firmly shook his head and said, "No. It's all boring."

Alistair couldn't take it. He took Leopold by the shoulders and yelled, "I never want to hear you say that again!" Alistair was shaking Leopold, and the child looked scared but that only angered Alistair more. "This is important, Leopold! You need this to get to your next level, and you need the next level to get to the one after that. You can never lose focus."

Laura came into the room and immediately yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She ran over to them and when Alistair sensed her closing in, his hand lashed out and he slapped her across the face. There was silence for a moment as Leopold didn't know what to do, Laura lay on the ground in shock, and Alistair heaved in anger. He knew that it was wrong to hit her, but he also knew that he was losing the battle for his son. He knew that Leopold was growing more and more to be like his father. Alistair began to storm out of the room and Laura said in a small voice, "You're so wrong, you know. You expect so much out of a child. You expect him to be born an adult. What's more you expect him to be born a cruel, lifeless adult."

"And you would have him be a flower in the field to be stepped on by any passing living thing."

And with that, he left the room. He could hear Leopold crying and Laura trying to comfort him. It made his blood boil.

Alistair began to lose hope. Over the next four years, if Leopold brought back a bad test score, Alistair would call him worthless, pretending to himself that it would spark some determination in him that Alistair knew was there. If Leopold accidently broke something around the house or one of his toys, Alistair would call him useless, pretending to himself that it would inspire Leopold to be more careful and aware. If Leopold showed more signs of laziness or weakness, Alistair hit him hard on the arm or the shoulder, telling him to be a man and do what's best. He'd hit Laura too if she got in the way of his own parenting or if he found her encouraging attitudes in Leopold that he was trying so hard to discourage. If Alistair were honest with himself, he would realize that his actions had little to do with helping Leopold and more to do with getting out his own anger at the disintegration of his perfect family and seeing his father resurface when he had worked for so many years to make him disappear.

In the end, regardless of the intentions he told himself, his actions never seemed to help. Leopold was becoming his mother's son and a proper descendant of his paternal grandparents. Alistair didn't know what more he could do about it.

 **Hope you liked this chapter! Please review and tell me what you liked and what you didn't like.**

 **Fun fact: the example of Fitz making stairs out of the chairs to play with the microwave is a real thing that happened when my little brother was that age. So if anyone didn't think that was very believable, trust me, my parents felt the same shock you feel!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Thirty-three

Alistair decided that he had had enough. He couldn't bear to live with them anymore. He couldn't stand this house that was no longer a home or these people who were no longer a family. They had let him down. They had turned out to be just like his father and mother, and Alistair could no longer handle the disappointment.

He couldn't stand fighting over it with Laura any longer. She wasn't giving in. She couldn't understand what he had been trying to tell her this whole time. He had tried for 10 years, but he couldn't anymore. It felt like screaming at a brick wall. It simply wasn't worth the time and effort.

Sometimes he saw glimmers of hope in Leopold. He would show some kind of creativity or spark of intelligence every once in a while, but any sense of pride that Alistair could feel was quickly overwritten with something stupid or lazy that Leopold did. All encouraged by his mother. Alistair lashed out even worse at times like these because it was bad enough that Leopold acted so stupid and worthless, but Laura encouraged it. Laura allowed him to be that way and fought Alistair for trying to take any kind of action against it.

He had decided it over the weekend, and on the Monday when Laura was at work and Leopold was at school, he packed a bag. The last straw had been when Leopold wanted to watch TV rather than do his homework. Alistair had of course gotten very angry with him, but he was relatively restrained at first.

"This is not a discussion. Go do your homework. Now."

"But Dad! I've been waiting so long to watch this! And it's almost done! I _promise_ I'll do my homework after!"

"NO. If you wanted to watch then you should have done your homework _before_ watching. Go. Now. Before I lose my patience with your stupidity."

Leopold was pouting and staring at the TV, but Alistair had no doubt that he would turn off the TV in a few seconds. He knew what would happen if he resisted his father too much. Alistair wasn't weak like his wife, and wasn't unwilling to teach his son a lesson in obedience, a lesson Leopold had already had far too many times. Alistair started picking up the used dishes from the table. Then Laura came in.

"Oh, let him watch, Alistair. They've been showing advertisements for this documentary for weeks and he's been looking forward to it the whole time. You should be happy. How many 10-year-olds do you know who would want to stay up watching a documentary on monkeys?"

Alistair was trying to contain his anger. He really was. He could feel his body starting to shake. He didn't look at her for fear that such a simple matter would escalate into a fight.

"Laura. He _needs_ to do his homework. _Now_."

"Alistair – " He didn't hear the rest of it. He wasn't even sure she had the time to continue. There was a roaring in his ears and he felt himself throw the cups and dishes in his hands at Laura. He grabbed Leopold by the arm and dragged him off the couch. Pinning his arms to his side, Alistair threw the boy at the stairs. "DO YOUR WORK NOW!" He stormed away.

It wasn't just about Leopold not wanting to do his homework. That's what Laura didn't understand. It was what Leopold allowed his mind to focus on. Wanting to watch TV rather than do his homework showed where his priorities lay. It showed what Leopold would rather use his mind for.

So, this was why he decided to leave. He was tired of having these same arguments with Laura and he was tired losing a fight that wasn't worth fighting anymore. It wasn't defeat. It was strategic retreat. A family like this would only weigh him down. They would prevent him from gaining the life that he deserved.

Though, he had considered taking Leopold with him. After all, this would ensure that he could raise his son the way a boy ought to be raised, without anyone else undoing or undermining his work. However, after only a few minutes of thought, he tossed the idea aside. Laura would not easily let go of Leopold and the child simply wasn't worth the fight. In all honesty, Alistair felt that it was wrong to even call Leopold his son anymore. No, he wasn't worth the effort.

Once his bags were packed, he walked towards the door, with anger and determination in every step. But there was sorrow too, buried in his heart. He could feel it pulling at his heartstrings. This wasn't the way that everything was supposed to turn out. This was supposed to be perfect. This. This house, these people, these things, they were all supposed to be what he had been working so hard towards for his entire life. He had been so happy when it all started. He wanted nothing more than to go back to his wedding day, or to the birth of his son, and just feel that happiness again. Feel that sense of perfection in life.

But they had ruined it. That's what he had to remind himself of. He was justified in leaving it all behind him because they were the ones who had ruined the happiness that had once belonged in that house.

So, with a last look around the bedroom, he went down the stairs. He grabbed his wallet and keys from the kitchen countertop and looked around the kitchen and the living room next to it. Turning his back on all of it, he began to walk towards the door, but stopped when he had a sudden thought. He opened his wallet and saw the picture there of Leopold as a baby. There was a picture of Laura right behind it. He took them out of his wallet, staring at them. Should he keep them? Why would he want a reminder of them? So he tossed them back onto the countertop. But with his hand on the doorknob of the front door, he hesitated again. Without giving himself a chance for a second thought, he walked back to the kitchen, grabbed the pictures, and left.

 **A/N: Hello! Hope you've been enjoying the story! ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! I hope you like it. Like I said in the description, I got this idea after reading _Things Fall Apart_ by Chinua Achebe. The main character, Okonkwo, had issues with his father's failure and ended up being brutal to his own family members because he thought that being kind and gentle was a weakness, solely because that's what his father was like. I started seeing similarities in how he treated his family and what we know of how Alistair treated Fitz, so that's why I thought to write this. It's not in any way some kind of justification for his actions, it's just a possible reasoning for why he could be such a cruel person. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Laura

The day that Alistair left ended up being one of the best days of her life. In retrospect, she should have left him a lot earlier. She should never have put up with everything that he did, both to her and to her son. But she had loved him.

A part of her had excused everything that he did. It was always because of rocky relationship with his own parents, or else it was something that she should have been smarter about, shouldn't have pushed him like she did or said the things she had. But a few months after he left, she realized that's all they were: excuses.

On the day he left, she had been somewhat emotionless for the first few hours. She read the short, to-the-point note that Alistair had left. The note was so like him, Laura could picture him saying every word. Then she set about making adjustments. She calculated all of her bills and put them together with her own salary to make sure that she could still pay everything. She felt nothing, just focused on the task at hand. They would make do for the time being. She would probably have to get a second job for at least a little while. Her heart dropped when she realized that she may not be able to send Leopold to the best schools. He was such a bright boy, despite everything that Alistair had always said. He and his wonderful brain deserved an environment that would help him flourish.

She shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind, knowing that she was going down a train of thought that would not be helpful in the slightest. She did all of her calculations, picked Leo up from school, and cleaned the house. It wasn't really a clean so much as a cleanse. She wiped away traces of Alistair, removed things that she had only kept for his sake. Leopold asked at one point where his father was, and Laura answered truthfully. "I don't know."

He got the tone in her voice. He was so intuitive. He didn't ask any more questions, although it was impossible that he understood everything fully…right?

In the weeks after, Laura and Leo got into a routine. She felt herself beginning to breathe a little better, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders that she hadn't even been aware of. She was starting to walk with more of a spring in her step. Despite having more responsibilities and more stressful obligations, she somehow felt more free.

For a while, part of her felt guilty. Against her better judgement, and despite everything she told herself, she missed her husband. Not the man he had become or the abusive routine they had gotten into, but she missed how they used to be, how happy they were. And even in recent years, it wasn't always bad all the time, or at least that's what she told herself. They had good moments too where he would smile at her or laugh at something. She missed the man she had fallen in love with, however rarely he had appeared in recent years.

But then she realized why she shouldn't feel guilty. He had been the one to ruin their happiness. He was the one who had the nerve to harm her precious boy. He was the one who hit her when she tried to defend Leo. And then he was the one who left, with nothing but a note which was obviously only given so that she wouldn't file a missing person's report.

Alistair had ruined their happy family, and it couldn't be helped.

After coming to this realization, she began to realize how much happier she and Leo were. They could focus on themselves and each other, rather than worrying about Alistair all the time.

Leo blossomed. His ever-curious mind was hungry for knowledge and Laura helped where she could. He had long ago surpassed her, but she did her best to provide the facilities that could cultivate his mind. That's why she let him go to the SHIELD academy when they came calling years later. Though it would mean separation from him, she couldn't hold him back. Not when he had been discouraged for so long.

Leo was growing into his own person. He didn't have many friends at school, but he made do with what he had. He was adaptable, just like her. And she was thrilled to see how thoughtful and caring he had remained, despite how much Alistair had tried to stomp it out of him. After a few months of living as just the two of them, he didn't like to be called Leo anymore. He always introduced himself as Fitz. After a fair amount of prodding, he finally revealed that it reminded him of his father. Every time he heard someone else say Leopold or Leo, he heard the disappointment and anger of Alistair. She was furious, but she realized that her little boy was moving on too. In the same way that she had cleansed the house, Leo was cleansing himself. She half-jokingly asked if he would prefer her to call him Fitz too. He looked confused and said, "Course not, Mum. Leo can be just for you. It doesn't sound bad when you say it." She was angry, of course, that anyone could ever have made her son feel so downtrodden, especially his father, but the proof that they were moving past it all filled her heart with joy.

They were happy. She could hardly believe that both of them could be so happy. She never bothered trying to find Alistair because in all honesty, she didn't want him there anymore. All he would do was harm their household. Harm her Leo. Even years later, the thought of him showing up would still feel like an icy hand around her heart. But as always, Laura knew that she would adapt if that day ever came. She would survive, and she would protect her child. Alistair had always moaned about success in the world and success in life. He didn't understand that the definition of success didn't have to apply to one specific thing, and he most certainly didn't understand that ways to succeed can differ. Leo's happiness was all the success she wanted. And in her mind, being happy herself meant that she was an over-achiever.

 **The end! I really hope you liked this story! Please review and let me know what you liked or didn't like!**


End file.
